Description

The Dandy Lion Project Curated by Shantrelle P. Lewis

European premiere

The Dandy LionProject explores global expressions of the Black Dandy phenomenon against the backdrop of contemporary life. The exhibition presents more than 150 images from over thirty photographers and filmmakers and is curated from an international open call by US curator, Shantrelle P. Lewis. The first comprehensive exhibition of its kind, this project highlights young men in cityscapes, defying stereotypical and monolithic understandings of Black male identity, by adopting Edwardian-era fashion and fusing this with traditional African sartorial sensibilities. Following acclaimed showings at Museum of Contemporary Photography – Chicago and Museum of African Diaspora – San Francisco, this European premiere of The Dandy Lion Project will also include a digital element featuring vintage family and archive images from a special call–out. A book accompanying the exhibition will be published by Aperture in Spring 2017.

A native of New Orleans, Shantrelle P. Lewis (b. 1978) is a 2014 United Nations Programme for People of African Descent Fellow and 2012-13 Andy Warhol Curatorial Fellow. She is a U.S. based curator and researcher who travels internationally researching Diasporic aesthetics, spirituality and the survival and nuances of Transnational African Diasporan communities. Her traveling curatorial initiative The Dandy Lion Project, examines Global Black Dandyism through photography and film. Other exhibits and projects have been on view in institutions throughout the U.S. and Europe. She has written for Slate, NKA: Journal for Contemporary African Art and Art Papers. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR and Huffingtonpost. At present, Shantrelle is researching ties between the Dutch Caribbean and the African Diaspora at-large. Currently, she is directing and producing, The Black Dutchman, a documentary about the Dutch blackface tradition Zwarte Piet and Black identity in the Netherlands. Forthcoming is her first book, Dandy Lion, to be published by Aperture in Spring 2017.

The Dandy Lion Project Trail

Follow The Dandy Lion Project Trail to uncover additional images from the main The Dandy Lion Projectfrom photographer Sara Shamsavari and her series, Rude Boys.

Rude Boys | Sara Shamsavari

Britain is not only the birthplace of dandyism, but also the first notable Black dandies. Perhaps the greatest contribution to this long tradition was the colourful and vibrant styles imported by waves of Black immigrants to the U.K. from the Caribbean and West Africa. The largest of these groups, and earliest – Jamaicans, established a rude boy subculture in their new land.

Rude boy culture, a term arising from youth street culture in Kingston, was distinctly shaped by mid-20th century jazz musicians and their sharply tailored suits, skinny ties and narrow brimmed hats. This cultural outsider movement filled the streets of London as it had in Jamaica and became an influencer of anti-establishment movements throughout the U.K. In response to The Dandy Lion Project, British-Iranian photographer Sara Shamsavari has documented some of these modern-day rude boys with Bajan, Jamaican, Grenadian, Nigerian, Ghanaian and Parisian roots, mixing and matching bespoke suits with Dutch wax prints from Vlisco. While less anti-establishment and more socio-economically progressive than their predecessors, they still defy categorisation.